Chapter 26 [XIV]—Reference to Cyprian’s Treatise “On the Mortality.”

Cyprian wrote a work On the Mortality,92    Cyprian, Works in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. v. p. 469. known with approval to many and almost all who love ecclesiastical literature, wherein he says that death is not only not disadvantageous to believers, but that it is even found to be advantageous, because it withdraws men from the risks of sinning, and establishes them in a security of not sinning. But wherein is the advantage of this, if even future sins which have not been committed are punished? Yet he argues most copiously and well that the risks of sinning are not wanting in this life, and that they do not continue after this life is done; where also he adduces that testimony from the book of Wisdom: “He was taken away, lest wickedness should alter his understanding.”93    Wisd. iv. 11. And this was also adduced by me, though you said that those brethren of yours had rejected it on the ground of its not having been brought forward from a canonical book; as if, even setting aside the attestation of this book, the thing itself were not clear which I wished to be taught therefrom. For what Christian would dare to deny that the righteous man, if he should be prematurely laid hold of by death, will be in repose? Let who will, say this, and what man of sound faith will think that he can withstand it? Moreover, if he should say that the righteous man, if he should depart from his righteousness in which he has long lived, and should die in that impiety after having lived in it, I say not a year, but one day, will go hence into the punishment due to the wicked, his righteousness having no power in the future to avail him,—will any believer contradict this evident truth? Further, if we are asked whether, if he had died then at the time that he was righteous, he would have incurred punishment or repose, shall we hesitate to answer, repose? This is the whole reason why it is said,—whoever says it,—“He was taken away lest wickedness should alter his understanding.” For it was said in reference to the risks of this life, not with reference to the foreknowledge of God, who foreknew that which was to be, not that which was not to be—that is, that He would bestow on him an untimely death in order that he might be withdrawn from the uncertainty of temptations; not that he would sin, since he was not to remain in temptation. Because, concerning this life, we read in the book of Job, “Is not the life of man upon earth a temptation?”94    Job vii. 1. But why it should be granted to some to be taken away from the perils of this life while they are righteous, while others who are righteous until they fall from righteousness are kept in the same risks in a more lengthened life,—who has known the mind of the Lord? And yet it is permitted to be understood from this, that even those righteous people who maintain good and pious characters, even to the maturity of old age and to the last day of this life, must not glory in their own merits, but in the Lord, since He who took away the righteous man from the shortness of life, lest wickedness should alter his understanding, Himself guards the righteous man in any length of life, that wickedness may not alter his understanding. But why He should have kept the righteous man here to fall, when He might have withdrawn him before,—His judgments, although absolutely righteous, are yet unsearchable.

CAPUT XIV.

26. Scripsit librum de Mortalitate Cyprianus, multis ac pene omnibus qui ecclesiasticas litteras amant, laudabiliter notum: in quo propterea dicit non solum non esse fidelibus inutilem mortem, verum etiam utilem reperiri, quoniam peccandi periculis hominem subtrahit, et in non peccandi securitate constituit. Sed quid prodest, si etiam futura, quae commissa non sunt, peccata puniuntur? Agit tamen ille copiosissime atque optime, peccandi pericula nec deesse in ista vita, nec superesse post illam. Ubi et ilud testimonium ponit de libro Sapientiae, Raptus est, ne malitia mutaret intellectum ejus. Quod a me quoque positum, fratres istos ita respuisse dixistis, tanquam non de libro canonico adhibitum: quasi et excepta hujus libri attestatione res ipsa non clara, sit, quam voluimus hinc doceri. Quis enim audeat negare christianus, justum, si morte praeoccupatus fuerit, in refrigerio futurum (Sap. IV, 11, 7)? Quilibet hoc dixerit, quis homo sanae fidei resistendum putabit? Item si dixerit, justum, si a sua justitia recesserit, in qua diu vixit, et in ea fuerit impietate defunctus, in qua, non dico unum annum, sed unum diem vixerit, in poenas iniquis debitas hinc iturum, nihil sibi sua praeterita justitia profutura (Ezech. XVIII, 24): huic perspicuae veritati quis fidelium contradicet? Porro, si quaeratur a nobis utrum si tunc esset mortuus, quando erat justus, poenas esset inventurus, an requiem; numquid requiem respondere dubitabimus? Haec est tota causa cur dictum est, a quocumque sit dictum, Raptus est, ne malitia mutaret intellectum ejus. Dictum est enim secundum pericula vitae hujus, non secundum praescientiam Dei, qui hoc praescivit quod futurum erat, non quod futurum non erat: id est, quod ei mortem immaturam fuerat largiturus, ut tentationum subtraheretur incerto; non quod peccaturus esset, qui mansurus in tentatione non esset. De hac quippe vita legitur in libro Job, Numquid non tentatio est vita humana super terram (Job VII, 1, sec. LXX)? Sed quare aliis concedatur, ut ex hujus vitae periculis dum justi sunt 0980 auferantur; alii vero justi donec a justitia cadant, in eisdem periculis vita productiore teneantur; quis cognovit sensum Domini (Rom. XI, 34)? Et tamen hinc intelligi datur, etiam illis justis qui bonos piosque mores usque ad senectutis maturitatem et diem vitae hujus ultimum servant, non in suis meritis, sed in Domino esse gloriandum: quoniam qui vitae brevitate rapuit justum, ne malitia mutaret intellectum ejus, ipse in quantacumque vitae longitudine custodit justum, ne malitia mutet intellectum ejus. Cur autem hic tenuerit casurum justum, quem priusquam caderet hinc posset auferre, justissima omnino, sed inscrutabilia sunt judicia ejus.